Trick-or-treaters mistaken for gang bangers

[Liberal_in_LA]

Trick-or-treaters mistaken for gang bangers

Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer

Thursday, November 5, 2009


(11-05) 12:37 PST SAN JOSE -- Four young men were charged with attempted murder today in the Halloween shooting and stabbing of two trick-or-treaters in San Jose whom they mistook for rival gang members, authorities said.

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The victims, boys ages 12 and 13, were attacked while trick-or-treating on the 2000 block of Story Road at 10 p.m., police said. The younger boy was shot in the head and remains in critical condition. The older boy was stabbed several times but has been released from a hospital.

Police did not say what led the attackers to conclude the boys were gang members.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/05/BAQO1AFNF1.DTL#ixzz0W3a4DqHo

[proteus_lives]

1. That's awful.

[mamaleah]

2. We are slipping to new lows every day.

Nevermind worrying about razor blades in apples....worry that some moron will think you are in a rival gang and kill you.

[Indenturedebtor]

3. When I was a kid my friends and I were beaten by gang members for our candy

bunch of 18 yr old punks beat up a bunch of 10-13 year olds for candy on Halloween.

[mamaleah]

4. That's awful!

What terrible memories that must have made for you.

It's just more proof that some humans really are not.

[alcibiades_mystery]

5. All too human

[Indenturedebtor]

6. Thank you for the sympathy. Its really not the worst of such memories

And I had it a lot better than many. This is what it means to grow up in an American city nowadays.

[Caliman73]

7. What a messed up situation. I hope the kid recovers.

I am wondering if the trick-or-treaters were dressed as gang members and that is why they were targeted. I grew up in Los Angeles in the mid 80's when the gang problem was exploding. Believe it or not, some people in my neighborhood thought it was a cool costume idea to dress as Cholos (Mexican gang members) I was 14 years old and I thought, "That's not really smart given the spike in drive-by shootings recently."